Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill Friday that relaxes Arizona's requirement for health plans to cover contraception, legislation that supporters called a protection for religious freedom and that critics called an attack on women.

The Republican-led Senate today gave final approval to a bill that prohibits public money from going to Planned Parenthood.
Although the bill, HB2800, passed on an 18-8 vote and is now ready to be sent to the governor, lawmakers have no plans of sending the measure to the Ninth Floor right away.

The Arizona Senate on Thursday skipped a scheduled to vote on a bill to bar Planned Parenthood from receiving public funding through the state for non-abortion health services.
Senate approval would complete legislative action on the bill already approved by the House.

Abortion providers in Arizona would be barred from receiving federal government funding through the state for family planning services under a bill that received preliminary approval from the state House on Friday.